I know that Yummy Healthy Fudgy Chunky Chocolate Brownies is a mouthful. And perhaps, that healthy and brownies don’t always go together.
My kids LOVE brownies, my husband loves brownies with a big glass of milk, and from time to time I crave chocolate. This recipe was a huge winner with my family and I am sure it will be with yours as well. Where does the healthy come from? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!
Who doesn’t!? I mean don’t you love mixing the batter with a big wooden spoon, with your kid’s waiting impatiently to be the first to stick their fingers in the mixing bowl! Their big eyes craving to just get a taste. And you know the kids try to steal a nibble or two when you are not looking!
Brownies are just a simple yet amazing dessert that will never get old in any household. It is the go to dessert when your kid’s are having their friends over, and of course you have to provide a yummy treat for those late night movies!
I received a copy of The “Truly Healthy Cook Book” by Tina Ruggiero. Among the many delicious recipes, I was surprised how delicious the Yummy Chunky Chocolate Brownies were in spite of having a little secret ingredient: prunes!
I was immediately drawn to the recipe because “bathroom issues” are not foreign in our household. Since my middle son was born, the poor boy has had them. When he was a baby, I would give him prunes… but as he grew a little older he decided “prunes-no-more” (unlike the rest of us that still loves them!).
The book’s recipe uses dark chocolate chunks and walnuts (of course optional). Both of which have their own exceptional dietary value. I did omit the walnuts today because I needed to bring the brownies to a bake sale and well, just in case other kids had nut allergies… I left them out.
Dark chocolate has actually been proven to help protect your heart, lower blood pressure, and and reduce LDL (the bad cholesterol)… so more power to chocolate, right? The walnuts give you a healthy does of much needed omega-3 fatty acids along with Vitamin E. Both of which are needed dietary supplements.
And in this recipe you’ll find prune puree. It’s easy to make the puree at home by soaking the prunes and putting them in a food processor or you can buy the puree in the baby food section. Since we always have a big bag of this antioxidant rich food in the house, I soak them in warm water and puree them myself.
The prunes don’t alter the taste of the brownies at all and they replace the loads of butter you’d find in traditional recipes. Win-win! You will get an amazing taste along with all the nutrition you need….all this coming from a brownie!
While I did edit the cookbook’s recipe a bit to use my preferred ingredients (I like coconut sugar and whole wheat pastry flour), I have to say that the other recipes in the book are brilliantly made over healthy as well.
Yummy Chunky Chocolate Brownies
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16 pieces 1x
Scale
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat baking flour)
- 1 cup sugar (I used coconut sugar)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup prune puree*
- 5 oz dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/150 degrees C
- Line an 8 x 8-inch baking tray with greased parchment paper or foil, a 2-inch overhang.
- Combine the cocoa, flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Whisk to blend.
- In another bowl, whisk the butter, eggs and prune puree together. Add the dry ingredients and stir just to combine. Do not over mix.
- Fold in the dark chocolate chunks and walnuts (optional).
- Spread into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until set (I checked at minute 35 because I like them more “fudgy”).
- Use the parchment or foil to remove the brownies to a cooling rack. Cool before cutting into sixteen 2 x 2-inch brownies.
Notes
My go to grain free brownie can be found at Bravo For Paleo.
To make prune puree: soak 1/3 cup dried plums (prunes) in a bowl with boiling water. Let them soak for ten minutes or so until they regain their moisture. Place moist prunes in a small food processor or blender and puree until smooth. You might have to add a teaspoon or so of water to get it going, but the consistency is like apple sauce.
You may substitute apple sauce if you don’t have prune puree.
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Disclosure: I was not compensated to write this post. I did receive a complimentary copy of the book, and all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.
Hi Laura! I’m from Colombia! Do you speak Spanish? 🙂
I just did the recipe and the brownies turned out perfect! I have to say I replaced the flour for 1/4 almond and 1/4 coconut, the butter for almond butter and I used 90% cocoa dark chocolate.
When I mixed the dry and wet ingrediets the texture was very dry so I added water and when I took them out of the oven (let them for about 40 min) they were not as fudgy as I wanted but still a little fudgy and full of flavor. I wonder if I let them less time in the oven the brownies will turn out more fudgy? Or it was because the texture of the mixture was a little bit dry and I have to add more of any of the ingredients?
Thanks for sharing the recipe! We all love the brownies. And my kids were very happy eating them!
Marcela
★★★★★
Hi Marcela! I have not tested this recipe with a flour-free substitute, so I can’t judge. By experience, it needs more liquid when working with coconut flour. Probably about 1/4 cup more. Glad everyone enjoyed them!
Hi there,
I have been disappointed with MANY brownie recipes and am skeptical about trying yet another one. How thick are these once finished? Do they have a more fudgy texture rather than a cakey texture? Just want to make sure it is the kind of recipe I am looking for before making them!
Thanks 🙂
Elisabeth, this is definitely one of those brownie recipes that taste really great but it feel a little “healthy.” I wouldn’t want you to be disappointed.
Yummy…I have added beet and raspberries to brownies and it was a hit in our nest too. Raspberries have more fiber than prunes and much preferred with my little bears. Happy feasting.
that sounds delicious too!
I am just making these and used 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup dark chocolate bits. I thought it might be too chocolatey but it’s pretty good. However, I realize the dark chocolate is actually more calories than the sugar.
I used 1 tbsp yogurt and 1 tbps of butter and they are definitely a bit too dense. Do you think that’s the reason?
I used a few extra prunes. Mine were really, really sticky and I made quite a mess. I don’t think it will make 16 brownies unless they are really small.
finally, I added shaved almonds and chia (untoasted) for an extra crunch and they were good! (no walnuts).
That being said, they are still pretty good but I think I only had to bake them 25 minutes. Your recipe kept coming up first so I had to try it. So thank you.
Do you ever add more flour, or do you think mine are too dense because I overdid it with prunes (slightly).
Also, do you ever use a peanut butter frosting?
★★★★
Jody, for optimal results, you’ll want to follow the recipe. Chia will absorb up to 10x its volume in liquid so even a little bit will make these dense. I do not add any more flour I just follow the recipe and they come out fudgy and moist. I Hope this helps.
Can you substitute sugar for stevia for diabetics???
I’ve not tried substituting sugar with stevia but I do know that Stevia makes a 1:1 baking product substitute so that should work. Enjoy!
I just made this, and liked how fast it was to put together. The only difference I had in my method was that I tried to finely chop the rehydrated prunes because my food processor for some reason was not working. The batter was extremely thick, and I found I had to add a little boiled water just to get it to be slightly more mixable. I baked it for only 29 minutes and found it already finished cooking. The texture is a little drier than I like and the brownie is very flat with no leavening agent, but it is very chocolatey and I still enjoy them. I want to puree the prunes next time I try the recipe, which hopefully will make the batter easier to mix! Thanks for sharing your recipe, Laura!
★★★
hello, I made these brownies using coconut oil and protein powder it did not come out as fudgy despite only baking for 30 minutes. I think it was even a little dry , should I have added more liquid.
Hi Shirley, all ovens vary and it depends on the pan used. If no substitutions were made, I suggest taking them out a little early next time.